Surprising Saviors
by umpcai
Summary: When Phoebe and Paige die, Piper is devastated.Fortunately for her, big sister Prue comes to her aid, enlisting the help of Piper's 'old friend' from Limbo. Meanwhile, Billie resurrects Christy.
1. Surviving

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed. Some dialogue is taken directly from the show.

**Surprising Saviors**

**Surviving**

"Phoebe?" Piper Halliwell dropped to her knees next to her unmoving sister. She removed debris from the woman's body. Around the two, their family's manor was in ruins. The broken stairwell led nowhere. Most of the walls were torn down. There were small fires burning pieces of furniture and possessions into ashes. "Phoebe, come on. Wake up. Wake up."

When she received no response, tears began to run down Piper's soiled face. Pulling the younger brunette into her lap, she brushed the hair from Phoebe's face. "Come on. It's ok. Look at me. Look at me. Breathe, Sweetie. Come on, Kiddo. Wake up," she desperately cried. "No," she rocked her little sister back and forth, cradling her form to her chest. She'd already lost Prue, not to mention her mother and Grams, along with one of her babies from a now changed future; she couldn't handle losing any more of her family. "No!"

A sphere of white light interrupted her grieving as an Angel of Destiny appeared before Piper, Leo materializing beside her. Speechless, Piper stared at her husband. After months of wishing for the moment when he would be freed from his icy prison, Leo finally stood before her. But at what cost?

Leo took in his surroundings. He rushed to Piper's side, calling her name as he saw the still figure she was holding. With a shake of her head, Piper confirmed that the middle Charmed One was indeed dead. Leo's eyes also began to water as he held his wife, letting her sob.

"The battle is over," the Angel stated with a sad shake of her head, "though not as I expected."

As the woman vanished, a rustle was heard amidst the wreckage.

Piper's head shot up. Had her other sister survived? "Paige?"

Gently shoving Phoebe into Leo's arms telling him to hold on to her, Piper rushed to the area the noise was coming from. A groan was heard.

"Paige?" Piper moved bits of wood as fast as her injured body would allow, hopeful that perhaps her baby sibling was still alive. But, as the last board was removed, it was a head of blonde hair that was visible.

"Billie," Piper managed to utter. The malice in her voice was enough to make Leo turn his head. Forgetting the pain of her injuries, Piper leapt onto the young witch. After a swift punch to her face, Billie's neck was surrounded by a pair of hands. They pushed into her, effectively cutting off oxygen to the girl's lungs.

"Piper!" shouted Leo, stunned. He laid down Phoebe and ran to Piper. "What are you doing? Stop!"

Piper ignored him. This girl had become a part of their family. She and her sisters had protected her, taught her the craft. But, Billie had betrayed them. She'd listened to her evil sister and caused the end of the Charmed Ones. She'd killed Piper's sisters. And she wasn't going to get away with it.

"What's the matter with you? You're gonna kill her!" Piper was ripped from Billie.

"No. Let go of me," she struggled against Leo's grip. Billie was gasping for air. She got to her feet and Piper threw out her hands, meaning to blow the girl up. She missed as Leo grabbed her arms.

"Stop. You don't understand. Stop!" Leo didn't know what he was doing. He didn't know Billie had turned against them. Piper didn't have time to explain, though. Billie was going to get away. Breaking free of his grip, Piper's hands once again started the gesture that could potentially end the now-fleeing Billie's life. But, once again, Leo intercepted. She hit a doorframe as Billie looked back at one of her former mentors.

"Christy!" Billie shrieked. She turned to run. She had to find Christy. She'd only recently retrieved her from the demons that had taken her in their childhood. She couldn't lose her again. She had to stay with her sister at all costs.

Piper blasted in her direction again, but Leo's restraining touch prevented her. Billie ran from Halliwell manor.

"Why did you do that?" Piper turned hysterically to her husband. "You let her get away.

"We need to get out of here, OK? There's nothing left for us here, ok? You understand me?

"No!" Piper swerved away from his reaching hand. "I have to find Paige! She could still be alive?"

"Piper."

"Paige! Paige, Sweetie? I'll find you. You'll be OK." Frantically, Piper rushed from pile to pile of damaged goods, throwing the pieces out of her way.

Leo glanced around for his other sister-in-law. He noticed a patch of brown hair and a creamy white shoulder buried several feet from where Phoebe lay. "Piper," he called, motioning with his hand for her to follow him.

"Paige?" Piper asked, seeing him uncover a battered young woman. "Is she breathing? God, Leo, tell me she's breathing."

Checking the prone body of Paige Matthews, Leo looked at his trembling wife and gently placed Paige back on the ground. Shaking his head and wiping tears from his eyes, he gathered a sobbing Piper in his arms as they both grieved.

* * *

Inside of his Limbo, several planes of existence away from his former in-laws, Cole Turner also felt tears run down his face. He'd heard news of a major battle rising between good and evil, between the Charmed Ones and the Ultimate Power, from demons passing through his solitary plane. But, he'd miscalculated when he'd assumed that his ex-wife and her sisters, the most powerful good witches of their time, could overcome this threat as they had all others. He knew how strong that Power was rumored to be. He'd worked for the Triad as they'd trained a teenage Christy who was the Key.

He should've offered his help to Piper. They'd had a silent forgiveness agreement between them when they'd last met. Unlike Phoebe and Paige, she probably wouldn't have minded his services, especially if he could've helped her get Leo back. He still had some powers left over from when he was vanquished, although he wasn't fully aware which ones or how strong they were since he rarely used them in his afterlife. And he could materialize in other planes for short amounts of time. Maybe he could've helped.

But, Phoebe hated him. She didn't care that, as far as she knew, he didn't exist at all anymore. She was in love with a Cupid now. And Cole was still in love with her. He really didn't want to go to her plane. And since he didn't believe it was necessary anyway, he didn't look in on the preparations or strategizing.

He didn't check in on the battle either, not until just minutes before. Because the part of Phoebe that had once loved him could still sense him. More than a year prior, when he'd guided Piper in Limbo, he could've sworn Phoebe had heard him talking about her. He didn't want her distracted in the fight against Billie and Christy.

When he did peek though, it was seconds before a grand explosion of power was emitted from each set of sisters. It was seconds before Phoebe had been killed.

Cole looked past Piper and Leo, holding each other tight, sobs racking their bodies. He looked past Paige, covered in open wounds that were no longer seeping blood. He looked at Phoebe, her eyes closed, never again to open. And more tears came to his deep blue eyes.

"What kind of a demon cries?"

Cole whipped around at the stern voice. Behind him stood a dark-haired woman, imposing despite her diminutive size. But her blue eyes were clouded over and there were traces of teardrops running down her cheeks.

* * *

"Dumain? Where are you?" Billie called out to the demon she'd previously thought was nothing more than her childhood imaginary friend. "Dumain?"

"Billie? Where is your sister?"

Billie cried, "She's dead."

Dumain looked slightly surprised. "What about the Charmed Ones? How did they fare?"

"Phoebe and Paige are dead, too. But, oh, Christy's dead. I have to get her back. Please, please tell me there's a way to resurrect her or go back in time or something!"

"There is a spell. But, I have no way of getting to it. It's in an ancient book, sort of like the Book of Shadows. It's called the Grimoire. There's a spell to use dark magic and bring the dead back to life, namely demons, though I'm sure with your power it could bring back Christy. Unfortunately, the Charmed Ones hid it quite a few years ago. No one has ever been able to find it."

"What does it look like?" Billie demanded. "Tell me. I'll project it to me."

An evil gleam entered the demon's eyes, unnoticed by Billie. "Very well."

* * *

"Prue?" Cole couldn't believe his eyes. "How, or why really, are you here?"

"Saving my family. Why else would I willingly come near you?" Prue looked at what was left of her old home. She avoided looking at the dead bodies of her two youngest sisters, one of whom she'd never got a chance to meet before her own death only several days before Paige entered Phoebe and Piper's lives. She could hear Piper's heart wrenching sobs and wished she could comfort her as Leo was doing. But, if her plan worked, Piper wouldn't need to be consoled.

Prue faced Cole again. While alive, she'd never really liked the half-demon. Apart from being a total pain, she'd always distrusted him because of his evil past. But, being dead gave a new perspective to things. She'd watched from "up there" as his relationship with Phoebe fell apart. She knew both parts of the couple were to blame. Each could have done things differently. She'd seen Phoebe's pain, but she'd also seen Cole's, something her living sisters had apparently missed.

Thinking that caused a shudder to pass through her body and Prue couldn't prevent her eyes from drifting to Paige and Phoebe. Those sisters were no longer living. She had to save them.

Cole followed her gaze. "Can't think of anything. But, what do you think I can do now?" he asked bitterly. "She's dead."

"We're going to fix that."

Running a hand through his brown hair, Cole looked at the dead witch. He and Prue had never really gotten along, but she seemed to have lost her mind in death. He could relate, having gone insane himself before his final vanquish, so he decided to humor her. Besides, it kept him from looking at the lifeless Phoebe. "And how do you propose we do that?"

Prue chastised him, "Don't look at me like that. My senses are perfectly intact. I know what I'm talking about. I know you can travel across planes, including visiting the living one. I'm going to need you to take me there."

"Do the Elders know you're here?" The thought had just struck him. The only reason she'd need him to transport her was if the paragons of good had forbidden her to do so herself, in ghostly form.

"What does that matter? It's not like my family's really big on them anyway. I can disobey."

"I'll take that as a no."

"Obviously. They don't want me to interfere. Wouldn't let me help with the battle either. But, forget the prophecy of three; I'm sure the Power of Four would've prevented the Hollow from being needed and prevented my sisters' deaths. They have such ridiculous rules. Not letting me see them for years because, according to them, none of us will be able to handle the separation again. Not letting me save them now. But, if _you_ take me to Piper, I don't think they'll do anything. It's not like they know you can resurrect Phoebe and Paige. Thankfully, they don't know you're an Avatar or you wouldn't have been sent to Limbo and then I'd never have been able to get to you."

"Wait, hold it. I'm not an Avatar, not anymore. I have none of their powers. I can only use a few of the things I picked up from the Wasteland- blurring, fireballs, and maybe a few others, I don't know; I haven't tried. But I can't resurrect anyone. Believe me, if I could, I would've gone out there and healed her immediately, Paige, too, for her sake."

"You can resurrect. I've done the research." Prue told him confidently.

"But I wasn't an Avatar when I died. I was Belthazor. The realities switched back immediately after and I regained my invincibility persona for a few minutes before most of that was stripped away. Then I came straight here."

"Exactly. The realities switched back before your sentence was carried out so you became an Avatar again, too."

"Avatars can't die except with that special potion. And I'm definitely dead, by other means."

""But you died when you were still Belthazor."

"What?"

"You were already dead when the Avatar powers went back into you. I don't think the other Avatars realize it, though. If they did, they would've brought you back to strengthen the collective after my sisters chased them away. Look, just don't think about it; it's too confusing. Anyway, the point is you _are_ still an Avatar and you can resurrect."

"How do you know this, but not the Elders?"

Prue shrugged, "After both sides got together to sentence you, seconds after your death in the alternate world, they didn't bother to pay attention to you anymore."

"But, you did? I find it hard to believe you'd care in the slightest what happened to me after death. I'm sure you were ecstatic the Charmed Ones had finally killed me."

Prue didn't answer right away. "Cole, as annoying as you are, and as irritating as it is that you won't just believe what I'm saying without wasting all this time with explanations, I don't hold the past against you. Everyone makes mistakes. And you love Phoebe. I can see now that you really do and that you never wanted to break her heart." She grinned, "So, that kind of moved you down on my most hated list. You're below Shax at number two now. Maybe if you help me with this you can get below Barbas, too. I was thinking of moving him as it is. Such an aggravating guy, especially with that head tilt thing he does. And I think he came back to life more times than you. I keep watching him pop back up into my sisters' lives."

"Why does everyone act like I have this thing about not staying dead? I only came back to life once."

"Really? It seems like so much more."

Cole rolled his eyes, "You never told me why you looked, though."

"I had a feeling I may need your help someday. Call it intuition."

"I call it being used by the Halliwells even in death."

"Funny. Now, will you just listen to my plan?"

* * *

Billie smiled as the Grimoire appeared in her hands. It was almost as thick as the Halliwell's Book of Shadows. It looked foreboding, but if it could bring back Christy, Billie had no problem using it. She looked up at Dumain, who stood over her. "I did it."

He grinned evilly. The girl had been able to get it. Perfect. "Good. Now, find the spell in there."

Billie flipped through the pages for a few minutes before exclaiming, "Here it is! It says I've got to read it three times, having the person I wish to resurrect in my mind."

"OK, so take a deep breath. As you read the spell focus on Christy," Dumain instructed. Billie recited the words. "Keep reading. Focus on bringing back your sister." As the third time came around, Dumain slightly altered his sentence, "Focus on the Triad."

Billie stopped reading and jumped to her feet, "What did you just say?"

"Focus on Christy."

Billie backed up in disbelief, "No, you want me to bring back the Triad. You don't care about my sister!"

"No, that's not-"

"That's Ok," Billie told him evenly, gaining control of the situation. "I'll get her back myself."

Before he had a chance to even think of shimmering out, Dumain was destroyed.

* * *

"Piper."

Leo felt the woman in his arms stop crying at the sound of her name. She pulled away and looked behind him. That's when Piper froze. And gasped, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

"Honey," Leo said worriedly. He turned to see what she was staring at and his mouth fell open in surprise.

"Prue!" Piper whispered when she found her voice. Her big sister stood only several feet away. "Am I dreaming?"

Prue shook her head as she stepped closer. "Piper."

And the latter unfroze. She reached for Prue, enveloping her in a crushing hug. More tears fell down her face, a mixture of happiness and grief. "Oh, Prue! Prue! I love you! I can't believe they finally let you visit. Phoebe would be so... happy," she stumbled over the words. "And, Paige... Paige would've been... thrilled to meet you. But, they can't Prue! They can't. Why did I have to lose all of you?"

"I love you, too. Don't worry about the rest, Sweetie. We're going to fix it. I swear. We'll get them back."

"Oh, Prue," Piper cried miserably. "I miss you so much. And, if you'd been here, I know you could have protected them."

"Piper, you did a great job taking care of this family. I'm so proud of you. And, I told you, we'll get them back. And, then, we'll finish off that evil."

"How? How can we get them back?"

"Well, see, I ran into that old friend of yours in Limbo and he agreed to help."

"What?" Piper asked, pulling back. Then she saw him. "Cole?"

"In the flesh."

"I don't get it. How can you bring them back?"

"Apparently, I still have Avatar powers."

"You were an Avatar?" Leo asked, and there was no mistaking the hostility in his voice. It wasn't directed at Cole, but at the Avatars. Since Piper had told him of her trip to Limbo, Leo had decided to forgive Cole.

"Yeah," Cole confirmed, annoyed at the anger seemingly aimed at him. "So were you."

"They just wanted power and to control the world. When I found that out and their methods for it, I turned on them," Leo said.

"I knew that from the beginning. That's why I told them no. But they came after me for weeks until, when I wanted to create that reality, I decided to give in. Prue just informed me I kept the powers after death."

"Wait," Piper interrupted. "So, you can resurrect them?"

"Yeah, he can," Prue smiled. "Then he's gonna help us go after Billie, and that sister of hers if she finds a way to bring her back, too. I think four witches and a half-demon Avatar with demonic powers will be enough to defeat the Ultimate Power, don't you?"

Piper nodded slowly, "So, what are you waiting for, Cole?"

He turned to the two women lying on the floor in front of him. Wincing when he saw Phoebe, Cole held his arms out in their direction. White light shot from his fingertips, covering the sisters. Several minutes later, they began to stir, and Cole stepped back, letting his hands drop to his sides.

Piper looked at him with a grateful smile, while Prue mouthed the word 'thanks'.

Paige was the first to wake. She sat up groggily, bringing a hand to her head. "Ughh. What happened?"

"Paige!" Piper rushed to her side, pulling her to her. "Sweetie, don't you ever do that to me again. I love you and you're not getting away that easily."

"What did I miss?"

Piper let Paige go as she ran to Phoebe, "I love you, too. So, get used to staying here."

"Did we die or something?" Paige asked as she stood up and then stopped as she saw Prue. "You're..."

"Prue Halliwell. Great to meet you, Paige," Prue pulled the younger woman into a hug.

Phoebe jerked away from Piper. "Prue!" Leaping to her feet she grabbed Prue, "You're here."

"Course, Pheebs." Prue returned the hug, smiling.

Police sirens sounded in the distance.

"I hate to interrupt this little reunion. But, if we stay much longer, the cops are going to ask a lot of questions that we don't have time to answer. We need to find that Billie girl."

Phoebe's heart skipped a beat when she heard his voice. She spun in surprise, coming face to face with her dead-ex who stood only a couple feet away. "Wha..."

"You guys were dead, Pheebs. Cole brought you back to life. He's an Avatar."

"What!" Paige yelled, preventing Phoebe from replying.

"No need for a thank you," Cole told her sarcastically.

"We can explain later," Leo said. "Right now, Cole's right. We have to leave."

"Let's go to Dad's. I want to check on the boys. We can discuss what we're going to do there." Piper suggested. "I'll put a spell on the place so Billie can't track us or anything."

"But-"

"Paige, later. How about you take me and Leo, and Cole can take Phoebe and Prue." Piper turned to the demon, "You can still materialize in different places, right?"

Cole shook his head in a gesture of yes. Paige threw him a disgusted look before orbing out with her group. Prue touched Cole's arm while he held out his hand for Phoebe to take. She ignored the shiver that went down her spine as he wrapped his strong fingers around her small hand. With a blur, they were gone. The police pulled up seconds later.


	2. Planning

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed.

**Planning**

"Dad, how are the boys?" Piper questioned immediately after her, Leo, and Paige arrived at Victor Bennet's apartment.

"Piper, Paige, you're OK. I was getting worried," he replied. "Where's Phoebe?"

"She'll be here soon. Where are my babies?" Piper asked again. She noticed Paige take a seat on the couch sulkily, no doubt upset about Cole.

"They're asleep in the bedroom. But, I couldn't find Wyatt for a while earlier. Chris had to orb him into the playpen. And speaking of Chris, why didn't you tell me he'd developed powers?"

"It didn't happen that long ago. Why was Wyatt was missing? Is he Ok?"

"He's fine now, though he can't orb; I had to pick him up from the pen when he started to cry about being trapped."

"Why wouldn't he be able to orb?"

"I bet Billie and Christy used him to access the Hollow and then stole his powers. He should have them back now, though, since the Hollow went back where it belongs," Paige said. "Where is the remote control? I want to look at the news. The manor had to have made it."

"I'm going to kill that girl," Piper announced.

"Over there by the lamp. Why would the manor be on TV?" said Victor in answer to Paige's question.

"Watch," Paige answered her sisters' father. She pushed the power button on the remote and went to the local news channel.

A reporter's voice boomed over the speaker, "... house on Prescott Street seems to have been hit by an explosion, from the inside. Very little remains. It is reported to be the home of Piper Halliwell and her family. So far, no bodies have been found. Investigators are unsure of the cause of the explosion or the whereabouts of the home's residents."

"We're gonna have a very hard time cleaning this one up."

"The manor blew up!" Victor exclaimed, facing his child.

Piper nodded, "I just wish that was the least of our problems. We still haven't completely defeated the Ultimate Power."

"Piper, Billie's alive, right? But didn't you say Christy was killed?"

"I assumed so. I never saw her, and Billie ran off. And with that blast, I don't know why Billie and I didn't die either."

"So, either no one found her body yet or Billie brought her back to life."

"Probably the latter, unfortunately," Piper glanced around. "Where are Phoebe and the others?"

* * *

"Where the heck are we?" Prue pulled away from Cole and looked around.

"A couple miles from the house; I used to pass these shops on my way to work," Phoebe said. Almost hesitantly she removed her hand from Cole's. She looked up at him. "What are we doing here?"

"It's been a long time since I blurred anywhere, especially with passengers. And your world isn't mine anymore. All of that takes more energy. But, since I only have a limited amount when I'm out of Limbo, I figured I'd better save it for the fight and for my fireballs." He gestured to the surrounding area. "We're not really in that space. We're in Limbo."

"I'm confused."

"I can blur to your dad's house, with both of you, without using any energy when on this plane. Once we're there, we can go back to the land of the living."

"Uh-huh," Phoebe nodded. "So, this is where you live... uh... or don't... live? This is where you stay?" Rephrasing her question, she tried not to sound concerned about his circumstances. But, it seemed like such a miserable existence. She noticed the difference now. There were people all around. She could see and hear them. They, however, didn't appear to notice the trio at all. Phoebe jumped, as someone walked through her. "Yeah, this is home sweet home." He didn't want to talk about it. "Give me your hands, so we can get moving."

Prue noticed the way Phoebe blushed as Cole grabbed onto her, but she didn't think either of them noticed. _Oh, Pheebs, I guess you're not as over him as everyone thought._ Cole was dead, though. There was no future there. As they left, Prue wondered why she and Phoebe were so unlucky in love. Andy had been killed a couple years before her. She'd never fully gotten over losing the love of her life when she'd been taken by Death, also. And, Phoebe, too, had lost her soul mate to evil. The only difference was that she could now be with Andy in the afterlife. Phoebe and Cole still had to be separated. Her sister couldn't have that same happiness.

* * *

"Hold up, Piper. You said you and Billie didn't die. What about Phoebe and Paige?" As usual with his daughter's magical lives, Victor was very confused.

"Uh, Victor, actually, Pheebs and I did die. But, Cole decided to come back to life and then bring us back, too."

"He's not alive, Paige. At least, I don't think he is."

"Why aren't you more upset about this, Piper? We all thought he was wiped from any type of existence, yet here he is, equipped with powers no less. You don't even seem surprised."

"Are you that shocked about his powers, Paige? Being just human never agreed with Cole."

"I guess. But, I am very shocked by your reaction. "

"I kind of had a run in with Cole last year, when I was in that coma. I knew he was trapped in a Limbo, though not that he could get out or about the Avatar thing."

"Limbo? Why didn't you ever tell us?"

"Old wounds," Piper said simply.

"Oh, of course. That's a lovely excuse."

"Wait. You're talking about Cole? Cole Turner?"

"Don't sound so happy, Victor."

"You!" Victor angrily whirled to face his baby girl's evil ex. But the fury drained as he saw who was standing next to Phoebe and Cole. "P...Prue?"

She smiled gently, "Hi, Dad."

Victor wrapped her in his arms. His eldest daughter, who'd been dead for 5 years, was standing in his living room. And she was corporeal, instead of in a ghost form, as he'd occasionally seen his deceased ex-wife and her mother. "I don't understand. I mean, I'm so happy to see you, but I don't know how I'm seeing you. I didn't think you were allowed."

"I wasn't going to let my little sisters die. So, I went to Cole and he brought me to the living plane. Then he used the powers I discovered he still had to bring Phoebe and Paige back to life. It doesn't matter if the Elders approve or not."

"And just why is Cole in Limbo instead of where he really belongs, anyway?"

"I'm too good for down there," Cole smirked at Paige.

"Right."

"No, it's true, Paige. The Elders thought he was too evil for 'up there' and the other side felt he was too good for 'down there'. Limbo for eternity was the compromise. Not to mention it tortures him to be able to see Phoebe, but not be with her. And both sides felt he should suffer a bit, since he betrayed each because of her."

"That's great. While I've been happy for years, thinking he was rotting, he was really just lonely."

"It's the worst punishment I could've gotten," Cole said, talking to Paige, but looking at Phoebe.

She avoided his gaze. Phoebe wasn't supposed to feel anything for him, no hate, no love, just nothing. That's what she'd told him the last time she'd seen him. But, she recognized the feeling in her heart when she'd heard his voice again and looked into his piercing blue eyes back at what was left of her home. It was the feeling she was supposed to feel for Coop, because it was Coop she loved now. She and the Cupid were going to talk about their relationship and feelings after this battle. They were going to get together and live happily ever after. _I love Coop_, Phoebe assured herself, _these feelings for Cole are just remnants of the past. They mean nothing. He means nothing. And as soon as we beat Billie, he'll have to go back to Limbo. And, I'll never think about him again. _She looked up, confident she'd sorted everything out. Cole was still looking at her. And her heart raced.

"Phoebe, are you listening?" Prue asked. "Piper just said the police didn't find Billie's sister. So, she must be alive. We have to figure out how to beat them, but without losing your lives this time."

Phoebe nodded. "Any ideas? Because absorbing the Hollow was our last choice, but it was the only one we felt would work."

"Is there any other place we can go?" Prue asked. "The police will probably come here looking for you guys."

"My loft. Though both Billie and Christy know that's where we'd go since the manor is gone."

"They know where I live, too," Paige added. "But, I think your place is better Pheebs. It's bigger, you know if we have to fight there."

"So, it's settled. Dad, Leo, you stay with the boys. You'll be safe here. I just added magical protection." She reached up to softly kiss Leo for the first time in months. Reluctantly pulling away, Piper turned to her sisters and Cole, smiling, despite the danger lurking, at seeing Prue with the others. "Let's go."

Paige grabbed onto all three of her sisters, not wanting to see them touch Cole again. He may have saved their lives and was helping them now, but Paige didn't forget the past very easily. Cole had tortured her, erased her from existence, tried to kill her and her sisters and she wasn't going to forgive him.

Cole shrugged and followed.

* * *

"Phoebe."

Coop's voice caused her jump in surprise. When Paige orbed them in, she had not expected him to be sitting on the sofa of her home.

"I know you said you didn't have time for me, but I really think we should talk. I want to help you beat this thing in any way I can."

"It's a little late for that, Buddy. We just came back to life and gained a few enforcements," Paige told the Cupid.

"You died? What do you me... who are you?"

"Oh, sorry. Coop this is my big sister Prue. She came down from 'up there' to help. Prue, this is Coop," Phoebe introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you, I guess."

"Likewise. But, like Paige said, we've got plenty enough help. I'm sure we can handle it. Besides, you're a Cupid right. I'm not sure how much you'd be able to do."

"Well, I know Phoebe's trained in martial arts and I've heard you were a pretty good fighter, too. But, maybe a man's strength will help."

"I think we can all fight just fine. And Billie and Christy aren't very strong physically, just magically," Piper told him offended.

"I wasn't trying to be rude, Piper. I'm sorry if it came out that way. But, I don't want anything to happen to Phoebe, or any of you. I know I can help with something."

"We don't need your help."

Coop looked up at the new voice and was surprised to see one of Phoebe's old flames. He looked to his love, questioningly. She turned away, so he focused his attention back on Cole. "Aren't you dead?"

"That was boring."

"Right," Coop said slowly. "Phoebe, can we talk, privately?"

"Sure," Phoebe readily agreed. Cole had blurred in right beside her. She'd had to look up at his tall form when he was speaking. She could see the tiny, barely visible scar on his neck that he'd gotten from saving her from a demon years before. She could swear she heard a heart beating loudly. He was dead, so it had to be hers. She needed to get away before he heard it, which she was sure would be any second. She needed to get near Coop again, cause the same effect from him. Phoebe grabbed onto his arm and pulled him into her bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

Paige turned to Cole and happily declared, "That was Coop. Phoebe's in love with him."

"Paige!" Piper reprimanded her. She knew Paige still hated Cole, but she didn't have to be so spiteful about it.

"What? I just want to make sure he realizes he doesn't have a chance with her."

Cole turned sad eyes on the door Phoebe and her new love had just gone through. "I know, Paige."

"Good."

"Which way's the kitchen?" Prue broke the tension.

Piper led the way.

* * *

"What going on?"

Phoebe looked into Coop's dark eyes, still willing herself to receive the same reaction from him that she'd gotten around her ex. "Prue called him to help us. He's going to leave right after."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Phoebe.

"Then, what?"

"Why were you looking at him like that?"

She stiffened. "Like, like what?"

"Like you loved him."

"Coop, that's ridiculous. It's you I love."

"I'm a Cupid, remember. I know that look."

She turned away from him and sat on her bed. "I can't believe what you're accusing me of. I haven't felt anything for Cole in years."

"Until tonight."

"No."

"I'm not mad at you. I just want you to be honest with me. It's Ok, Phoebe; it's not like we're actually together or anything."

"I told you a few weeks ago that I loved you. You said the same. We are together," Phoebe reminded him.

"Not officially. And maybe you just confused me with what I stand for." Coop didn't want to say that. He loved her more than anything. But, if she didn't feel the same, he couldn't be in a relationship with her.

"How could you think that?"

"Because I can read your heart. And I'm not in it."

Phoebe jumped up, "You can't use that stupid ring on me!"

He sadly shook his head. If he'd used it when she'd first confessed her feelings to him, maybe he could've avoided this pain. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before. But, Phoebe couldn't help who her heart loved. She hadn't even realized it until her sister had brought him back into her life. He almost wanted to blame Prue, but knew it wasn't really her fault, either. It was just Love. "Don't put that shield back up, Phoebe." He paused. "Tell him soon, OK?"

And Coop disappeared inside of a heart.

"I don't love him!" Phoebe said to her empty room. So, why did her soul cry out in disagreement to her words?

* * *

"Christy, you're alive! It worked!" Billie nearly tackled the other girl before holding her tightly.

"What happened? Did we kill the Charmed Ones?" Christy asked before returning the hug.

Billie pulled back, "Not Piper. And she's probably going to find a way to bring back Phoebe and Paige, like I brought you back."

"Then, we have to find her and finish the job. Hopefully, before she has a chance to save the others."

"I agree," Billie said, all previous hesitation at killing her old friends having vanished when they killed her sibling. "Do we get the Hollow again?"

"Yes, just in case the two dead ones are back by the time we locate Piper. If it was just her, we could handle it on our own, but with all three again, we can't take any chances."

"What if they're thinking the same thing?"

Christy shook her head. "They probably didn't want to use it in the first place. They won't absorb the Hollow again. They'll think of something else."

"Not that it will do any good. Right?"

"Of course not. They're no match for us without the Hollow."

* * *

"I was thinking about the Source vanquishing spell combined with Cole's firepower," Prue said as she sat next to Piper at the table. Paige was sitting across from them, having just gotten off the phone with her husband. Henry had been worried sick after watching the news. Cole leaned against the wall.

"We thought of that. But, they're just too strong."

"For all of us? I think it would work."

"If Cole can still fire attacks, then, I agree with Prue," Piper said. "It's the best option we have, since the Hollow clearly doesn't work."

"But, they're not expecting us to get the Hollow again. We'd have the element of surprise. So, if it's the five us with our power increased by it, against them, we'd win."

"Paige, the Hollow never should have been used in the first place. There's a reason it's locked up. Or didn't you learn that these last two instances?" Cole asked before he crossed his arms against his chest, glancing back at Phoebe's closed door.

"I'm the one who was against using it in the first place. But, now, I think it really could work. We didn't go crazy with it. We wouldn't die this time, not with you and Prue to help."

"You didn't lose it _because_ you died. And I'm not going to absorb the Hollow."

"Don't be so bitter. Just because it put the Source inside of you last time is no reason not to help us now."

"If I thought it would help, I'd gladly accept its power again. But, it won't."

"You don't know that."

"Stop being naïve. How do you know the Ultimate Power isn't calling for it again themselves as we speak?"

"They wouldn't be that stupid."

"But you would?"

Paige glared at him. "Don't insult me. I just meant that they died last time, same as us, so, in their minds, it would be suicide to take in the Hollow once more. I think they'll attack without the enhancements."

"Christy must've been told about the Hollow by the Triad. But, I'm sure she doesn't realize they were just using her to get themselves back on top. So, she trusts what they said. She'll think it's the only way."

"Still, we should take it in, too. It will boost our chances."

Cole said, "The Hollow messes up judgment. It makes you just want power. They'll attack blindly. That's how you'll be able to vanquish them. By using your minds, something they will no longer have access, too. And, even if they don't use it, I still think the Source's spell is your best option.

"I hate you. Stop acting like such a know-it-all, big-shot-"

"Paige-"

"Why do you keep getting mad at me? He's the demon... Avatar. Whatever he is, it's not good. Knowing about him before me and Phoebe does not mean you should be all buddy-buddy with him."

Piper sighed. "I'm not mad at you, Paige, but we have to be quick. Cole's right. And so is Prue. We should use the same spell we said for the Source. And we should do it soon, in case they are trying to get the Hollow again."

"Fine! But he better be leaving right after."

"Why would I even want to stay? I can't wait for this to be over so I can go back to Limbo."

"So, you can pine over Phoebe from afar? Don't forget to watch her wedding with Coop."

Cole turned away from her. "Let's just get through this."

"Only if you promise not to come back to life."

"I don't want to! There's nothing for me here."

"What is happening in here?" Phoebe asked. She'd been having a hard time getting her mind and her heart to agree on not wanting Cole when she'd heard shouting. She'd come out of her room to investigate. Now in her dining area, she made sure to stay far away from the object of her internal debate.

Piper looked behind Phoebe, "Where's Coop?"

"He... left. But, what is going on?"

"Cole just agreed to leave us alone forever."

"No; I said I wouldn't come back to life. But I may haunt you, now, Paige."

She twisted around in her chair to face Piper. "Can you kill an already dead demon?"

"Since the demon's Cole, you'd vanquish his soul," Prue said. Paige turned to her.

"Would a standard potion work for that? Or do I need an Avatar one. Cause' that would take longer; I'm not sure it even can be made."

"Then you're out of luck, I guess." Cole took a seat.

"Oh, but I could always go back in time and grab one before they're all used up," Paige said.

"All that to destroy my soul?"

"Of course."

"And I'm the evil one?" Cole asked no one in particular.

"I'd just be repaying the favor. You try to kill me, I kill you."

"You already did that."

"Obviously not well enough."

"Paige, stop. This is getting ridiculous. Cole is trying to help. And don't forget he saved you earlier."

"Lighten up, Piper. I'm not really gonna vanquish his soul. I'm not that cruel. Though I have no qualms against going back in time and making sure his vanquish becomes a lot more painful."

"It was plenty painful enough," Cole said. An alternate version of Phoebe had thrown the potion. And he knew that her real self would've done the same given that chance.

"Can we get back on topic here?"

"As soon as someone tells me what that topic is, Prue."

"We're going to use the spell you guys used to defeat the Source. With four of us, it should work. And Cole's going to throw a few well-aimed fireballs to make sure."

"How can you be so positive? They're very powerful."

"More powerful than the Power of Four? Come on, Pheebs."

"Nothing's for sure. You might not want to be so over-confident. Being cocky is what got you killed."

Looking hard at Cole, Prue said, "And getting on my nerves is why I'm going to let Paige re-kill you. Trust me; I'm perfectly aware of how I died. You don't need to remind me."

"OK, so we should scry for them now," Piper said. The last thing they needed right now was another argument between the group. Teamwork was how the Ultimate Power would be defeated.

"Right. I'll go get my map and crystal."

"That won't be necessary," Christy said. She was standing in the doorway, holding her little sister's hand. Both looked ready to kill, they're black eyes cold.


	3. The Battle

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed.

**The Battle**

The Ultimate Power began advancing on the Charmed Ones. Piper flicked her wrists, using her explosion power, to try and slow them down. Nothing happened. "Uh, guys?"

Her sisters glanced at her but had no time to respond as they stooped to the ground to avoid an attack. They recovered and Phoebe called out, "Look at their eyes! They absorbed the Hollow again."

"That's what happened to my powers," Piper realized. "We won't be able to hold them off with powers and otherwise they'll never let us chant. Cole, why didn't you take that into consideration?"

"I'm supposed to think of everything?"

"We can't fight them with the Hollow. Paige was right," worried Piper.

"No," Cole objected. "We still have use of our minds. We'll think of something."

Paige glared at him, "Unless practically all of its recipients die, we need that spell Phoebe and the Seer used to send it back!"

"We'd need a being of evil to say it too," Phoebe reminded.

"Cole's evil!" Paige said. "The problem is none of us remember it."

Billie halted the conversation. "Stop talking to each other. You have no escape. Accept it and die."

Prue waved a hand at the assault that went their way. "There go my powers."

"Just make up a spell," Cole instructed.

"Will that work?" Phoebe asked.

"Worth a shot. Otherwise, you're gonna have to hope they let you recite the Source's spell. But, I won't be able to add anything extra to that. My powers will be stolen, too."

"We're gonna die, again," Paige predicted.

"_Thief of Powers, leave your host. Back to your prison, swarm away_..."

"_Leave our sight, or we'll make you toast!_" Paige finished Phoebe's spell. She shrugged at her sisters' looks. Toast rhymed.

The group watched astonishingly as the Hollow's essence left Billie and Christy. Prue and Piper's powers were restored.

"It worked," Phoebe cheered.

"What did you do?" yelled Christy.

"Now, we don't have brains as an advantage," Paige sneered at Cole. "We're back to being equal."

"Calling yourself stupid again?" He spoke again, before she had a chance to yell at him. "Say the spell."

"Prue, please tell me you know it!"

"Yeah," she assured Piper, as the de-Hollowed girls got to their feet. "I watched you three use it. We ready?"

"Definitely," Paige replied.

"You prepared a spell for us? I'm honored. And, you even got us some more victims." Christy smiled at the blonde to her left, both laughing at their opponents.

"_Penelope, Patr_-."

"You can't defeat us." The Jenkins' girls cut off Prue's spell as they sent a dark bolt of energy at the Halliwells.

They ducked to avoid the blast, but the force of the wind it sent out was enough to blow them several feet across Phoebe's kitchen. Prue jumped to her feet and retaliated by telekinetically flinging the table towards them. Knocked off balance, they began to stand up again.

Paige took Prue's cue as she used her own powers to push the Ultimate Power into the living room. "Chairs!"

"Piper, can you freeze them?" Phoebe cried as the evil sisters came back for more.

"I've been trying," Piper's arms were stretched out and her palms faced their enemy. "It's not working!"

"We need a crystal cage," Paige said as she orbed Billie across the room. Prue sent Christy through a wall.

"A cage," Billie mocked. "Christy, they think we're animals."

They grabbed hands as they stared the Charmed Ones down. Christy smirked, "That's not very nice."

Cole deflected the attack they threw with a fireball of his own.

"I have crystals in my room; hold them off until I can get there."

"I'll just orb them here," Paige suggested. But, Christy didn't like the idea, as she sent Paige through a window onto the balcony. She quickly allowed Piper to join her sister with a wave of her hand.

"Paige! Piper!" Prue ran to help the two, holding the brunette Jenkins back with her hand.

Phoebe started to follow, but Cole grabbed her hand. "Get the crystals! They'll be fine."

As she ran to the back of her loft, Billie sent another black wave her way. "Not so fast!"

Cole's attack knocked it out of the way. Billie looked at him, "Who the heck are you! Stop interfering!"

Cole smiled. He threw a sphere of flames that scorched the evil witches' side.

"I got them," Phoebe ran back.

"Crystals! Circle!" Paige formed a ring around Billie and Christy. She, Piper, and Prue sprinted to Phoebe's side.

"What do you think you're doing?" Christy tried to walk out, but was shocked, falling to the ground.

"That's impossible! We're stronger than this!"

"Billie, calm down. If we focus, I'm sure we'll be able to overcome this." They closed their eyes and concentrated their power.

"We have to hurry," Piper warned. The four clasped each other's hands.

Prue began the chant, "_Penelope, Patricia, Melinda_..."

"_Ashford, Helen, Laura, and Grace_..." Piper picked up. _Please, please work_, she silently pleaded.

Flames began to form near the feet of the crystal fence's prisoners. At the same time, the young witches reached their hands through its barrier.

"_Halliwell witches stand strong beside us_," Phoebe added.

The good sisters' targets moved from the crystals' boundaries, making them lose effect. The orange blaze followed and the girls cringed in pain even as they moved to attack the Halliwells. Cole quickly fired off his own flames in rapid succession. Each hit its mark since the Charmed Ones' former protégée and her sister were so intent on reaching their adversaries. Grunting in pain, their steps became slower, more awkward.

"_Vanquish this evil_..." Paige hurriedly recited.

"_From time and space!_" the four finished as one. With a final anguished scream, the Charmed Ones' rivals went up in smoke.

"Is it over?" Paige asked.

Piper looked down at the scorch mark on Phoebe's formerly unblemished floor. "I think that speaks for itself," she gestured with her hand.

A big smile crossed the eldest witch's face. "Boy, it feels good to kick some demon butt again."

Phoebe shook her head sadly. "Just a few months ago, I never would have thought we'd vanquish Billie."

"I know what you mean," Paige agreed. "She was my charge, but I didn't protect her." She looked at Phoebe. "But, we couldn't save her, Pheebs. Christy killed the good in her, just like the Triad did to Christy when she was little."

"I guess."

Cole spoke up, "I may _want_ her to kill me again for saying this, but Paige is right, Phoebe. They were corrupted by evil. And though you wanted to save their lives, you probably did them a bigger favor this way. You freed their souls."

Phoebe looked up at him, "You're speaking from experience."

He nodded, a bit surprised that she seemed to want to listen to him. "When I was possessed by the Source, I was miserable. Evil was all around me and I couldn't escape it, despite my best efforts. It hurt when you killed me, Phoebe, but I was always grateful for it. You gave me freedom from him."

"I wanted to save you," Phoebe whispered.

"I know," he said. Phoebe was gazing at him with a look in her eyes he hadn't seen directed at him in years. He turned away from her, thinking he must be reading her wrong.

"I'm sorry." Her small voice caused him to turn back around. "I'm sorry I couldn't. I'm sorry for how I treated you when you came back. I'm sorry I didn't let you be good. I, I know you have a good heart. I'm just so... sorry for everything."

"I'm sorry, too," Cole said, once he'd recovered from his shock. "For all I put you through."

Paige coughed into her hand, alerting the couple to the fact that others were still in the room and that they were getting a bit too emotional toward each other for her tastes. She turned to Cole, "You're standing a bit too close to the sister there, Buddy. We're all very thankful for your help, but seriously, back up."

Piper sent Paige a look that clearly said to 'stop being so mean to the guy who just helped us defeat the Ultimate Power of evil'.

"I apologize to you, too, Piper, Paige." Cole looked at each of them in turn. Turning to Prue, he said, "Uh, sorry, for trying to kill you when I was Belthazor."

"Old news," Prue shrugged. "I told you I'm not holding a grudge."

"I'm sorry, too. You'd been a part of this family," Paige snorted in the background as Piper talked. "We should've seen your pain, too, back then, and tried to help, instead of blaming you for everything."

"So, what are we going to do about this mess?" Paige viewed the room with a practical eye. "I know. '_Let the object of objection become but a dream, as I cause the seen to be unseen_'." Phoebe's apartment was magically put back to its original cleanliness. "I'm gonna go call Henry now, let him know everything's OK."

Piper followed Paige with her eyes as she left the room, before she turned back to Cole. "I'm sure Paige is also sorry."

"No, she's not," Cole disagreed. "But, it's OK. I think I'll not live just fine, anyway."

"Guys, I think it's time for me to go," Prue announced. "I can feel myself being pulled back up."

"No," Phoebe cried, holding onto her sister tightly. "It's too soon! We didn't even get to talk."

Piper joined in the hug. "It figures that when you finally come down they pull you away as soon as Charmed duty is over."

"Maybe if we handle this maturely," Prue proposed, "they'll see that we _can_ let go, and I'll be able to visit sometimes."

"Are you kidding? They don't have a choice anymore. You'd better visit!" Phoebe ordered.

Prue laughed, "Now, Pheebs, this isn't showing we can handle it."

Phoebe pouted, "Fine. But, they have to let you back down at least every once in awhile or, or I'll-"

"Or we'll quit," Piper finished the thought.

"Where have I heard that before?"

"Heard what?" Paige asked re-entering the room.

"That Piper will quit working as a Charmed One," Prue explained.

"Oh. Yeah, she does say that a lot," the youngest sister agreed. "Why is she gonna quit this time?"

"Prue has to leave," Phoebe said, still clinging to her, "but, we want the Elders to start allowing her to visit, now."

Prue looked to the ceiling. "They're really pulling. Time's up."

"Bye, Sis," Phoebe said a last goodbye.

Piper echoed, "Bye."

Paige stepped forward. "I'm really glad we got to meet."

Prue gave her half-sister a hug and moved away from the group. She faced Cole. "Thanks for helping."

"See you, Prue."

Turning back to her sisters she beamed, "Love you, all."

Paige nodded, while Piper and Phoebe said the same

"Blessed Be," Prue said as she was swept up by white lights.

Phoebe rested her head on Piper's shoulder, "I can't believe we finally got to see Prue."

"Only to lose her again."

Shaking her head, Phoebe replied, "Not for good. We won't let that happen."

"So, I'm gonna go, now," Cole announced, feeling very out of place. "Bye."

Before he was able to blur out, however, Phoebe grabbed his arm. Without giving him time to question her motives, she pulled him down to her, pressing her lips to his. Cole, though stunned, deepened the kiss as he pulled her petite frame close, placing his hands around her small waist. Phoebe's fingers caressed his face.

As Paige went to protest, Piper's hand covered her mouth, stopping all speech.

Cole reluctantly pulled away; he was fading out of this realm, no longer having enough energy to sustain his existence outside of Limbo. Phoebe's chocolate eyes stared into his warm blue ones. Breathless, she managed to murmur, "Coop was right." She smiled at his dazed look, "I do love you, Cole. Forever."

A smile crept across his face, the first genuine one in a very long time. "And I love you, Phoebe. Always."

An idea suddenly hit her. She loved Cole, with all her heart. And, if he still felt the same, there was no reason why they couldn't be together. Death hadn't stopped Piper and Leo. "Let me bring you back," she pleaded. "Then, we can be together. And, I swear, I won't give up this time. You're all I want, Cole. We can make it work this time, Baby; we can."

Looking at her determined expression only made it harder for Cole to turn down her offer. "No."

Her heart sank.

Cole hurriedly amended his words, "It's not that I don't want to be with you. But, Phoebe, I doubt it can even be done. And, I don't belong here. Not anymore. My place is in Limbo. Yours is here. You'll find love again with someone else and you'll be happy with him forever."

"I don't want anyone else. I've denied what, my, _our_ hearts want for so long. I can't lose you again. I won't."

"I'm sorry. Remember, you're always in my heart."

They were the last words he said. In the next instant, Cole vanished, back into his Limbo.

Phoebe stared at the spot he'd just disappeared from. Piper walked up behind her, "Phoebe?"

"Piper," she said brokenly.

* * *

"What happened?" Leo asked as his wife and her sisters orbed into his father- in-law's home.

"We vanquished Billie and Christy."

"Where's Prue?" Victor asked, seeing that the Charmed Ones were back to three members.

"She had to go, Dad," Phoebe said before walking from the room. "I'm gonna go see my nephews."

"Cole had to go, too," Piper answered her father's unspoken question. "And, unlike Prue, I don't think he'll be coming back."

"Shouldn't that make her happy?"

"I wish," Paige grumbled. "I'm going home, Piper. Henry's waiting. Call me later."

When Paige had orbed out, Piper asked her father, "You have any rooms available? Leo and I might have to stay her with the boys a while."

"Of course. My door is always open to you, Sweetie."

"Thanks, Dad." She gave him a quick hug. Grabbing Leo's hand, she left in the same direction Phoebe had gone.

* * *

Later that night, after Phoebe had returned home and her children were in bed for the night, Piper was lying on her father's guest bed against her husband. Leo's arms were wrapped tightly around her. She looked up at his face. "I missed you so much. I thought I'd go crazy; I wanted to see you so badly. I love you so much, Leo."

"I love you, too, Piper. Don't think about the past anymore. We're going to have a happy future together now."

"A happy future with no house. What are we going to do about the manor, Leo? What are we going to do about the authorities? They're going to investigate. And, Phoebe, she's so sad again. Why can't she be happy, too?"

"Piper, we can worry about it tomorrow. Tonight, let's just be glad that everyone's safe."

"I know. You're right." She gave him a deep kiss, lingering against his lips for a bit. When she pulled away, Piper smiled. Her husband was back, safe and in her arms. Her kids were healthy and happy. Phoebe and Paige were alive again- she was away from that nightmare. And she'd finally gotten to see Prue. She really couldn't be more pleased, even if her family's ancestral home was still in one piece and Phoebe wasn't heartbroken.

* * *

"So, it's all really over?" Henry questioned. He was lounging on the couch. Paige was resting her head on his chest and had her eyes closed contentedly.

"The fight with Billie and Christy, yeah. Demon fighting, in general, never. They'll always be there. But, it probably won't be as much."

"As long as you always come back to me."

Paige smiled, snuggling closer, "Count on it."


	4. Gathering

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Charmed.

**Gathering**

"How's it going?"

"Not bad, actually." Piper looked up from the papers she'd been reviewing to greet Paige. "I've got the prices of most the stuff right here; we can afford it on the income of P3 and our insurance will hopefully come in and help, too. The contractor says he can start at the beginning of next week."

"You got everything together pretty fast, huh? I mean, the manor only, you know, blew up last week."

"Well, it certainly helped that I was able to magically conjure up the original plans for it," Piper grinned. "We don't have to go through that mess before it's rebuilt."

"Yeah, that would be a big help."

Piper looked at her sister, a frown going across her face. "But, I still wish we could've gotten the real house back. It was in our family for generations. Prue, Phoebe, and I grew up there. All of us, you too, became witches there. Grams, Prue, and Chris all died in the manor. But, you and I were married there. Wyatt was born there. We've just been through so much, good and bad, in that house."

"And, even though the new place will be an exact replica, it's not the same," Paige completed the thought. "I'm gonna miss it, too."

"At least the investigation is over." Piper opted to look on the bright side as she hopped off of her barstool, collecting the stack of documents.

"Oh, yeah? What'd they finally decide happened?"

"Nothing magical, thankfully. I don't want to worry about the Cleaners trying to erase anyone again. They said a gas leak got out of control."

"Plausible, I suppose," Paige said. "Hey, where's Leo? I thought he was coming with us?"

"To check on Phoebe? He said we'd do a better job. But I think he really figured he'd be out of place with Henry at work and just us girls there. Besides, since Dad's watching the boys, Leo volunteered to show the contractor the site. We're hoping the foundation isn't damaged and they can go straight to framing. If not, the estimate pricing I have is going to shoot up."

"Shop talk; I don't really get that. Are you ready?"

"I have to get these over to Dad's first. Unless you want to orb them there."

"No problem. Papers!" Blue and white lights surrounded the objects as they disappeared.

"Thanks. You driving?" Piper asked already reaching for her sister's arm.

"Did you bring a car?" Paige asked, knowing the answer.

Piper shook her head, "I'm shopping for it tomorrow, hopefully."

"Then, I'm driving." The two vanished in the same way the papers had.

* * *

"Pheebs, are you home?"

"Piper, Paige," Phoebe ran in from the living room. Her siblings had orbed into her kitchen.

"Hey, uh, Honey; you're awfully perky," Paige commented.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be? We're all alive, and I've got a surprise for you two in the other room."

"So, you're OK," Piper asked, "about Cole?"

Phoebe's smile faltered for a second. "If I was able to get over a two year relationship with him, I think I can handle a few minutes one. I'm fine. Really. Now, come on."

Paige watched her leave. She turned to Piper, "Any chance she _is_ telling the truth?"

"Not a one."

"You could've lied."

"What's taking you guys so long?" Phoebe called out.

"We're coming."

Entering the living room of Phoebe's loft, Piper and Paige were greeted by the sight of their old friend from the police department and his family.

"Darryl, Sheila, you're in town?" Piper gave each a quick hug. Paige did the same.

"Sheila wanted to visit some old friends from her work, and we thought we'd drop in on you guys, too," Darryl explained.

"We stopped by the manor first. Leo told us what happened," Sheila added with a sympathetic smile. "He gave us Phoebe's address."

"Oh, it's fine. We're rebuilding and everything's going to be great," Piper said, dismissing the issue. "If I'd known you were coming, I'd have brought Wyatt and Chris." She smiled at Darryl Jr.

"It's so great to see you again," Paige said.

"Especially since we didn't leave on the best of terms?" Darryl finished her unspoken thought.

"No," Paige began.

"It's, Ok, Paige, really. We got scared and ran. It wasn't the nicest thing, considering we'd been friends for so long," Darryl apologized.

Piper waved it off. "We were taking the friendship for granted, expecting you to always help us out because of it."

"Enough drama, Guys," Phoebe broke in. "Let's enjoy each other's company now." She rushed off, presumably to get Piper and Paige drinks and to refill everyone else's.

"Is she OK?" whispered Sheila. "She's been a bit...hyper... since we got here."

"She's dealing with some things right now. She doesn't want us to worry, so she's putting up a front."

Darryl looked at Piper worried, "What's wrong?"

"I don't think you really want to know."

A crash resounded throughout the apartment.

"Phoebe?" Paige asked as she Piper, Darryl, and Sheila came into the room. Darryl audibly gasped at what he saw.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Pheebs," Prue laughed.

"Prue?"

"Hi, Darryl." She briefly hugged him.

"What's going on? I didn't think you were allowed down."

"I fixed that last week." Turning excitedly to her sisters, she clarified. "They made me a Whitelighter. I guess we showed them that the Power of Four really is more efficient. And guess who they assigned me, too?"

"Us?" Phoebe asked.

"Actually, just Piper."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, they figured the Charmed Ones deserved to each have their own Whitelighter. Well, Phoebe and Piper, that is. Paige is technically one herself."

"Then, who's mine?" Phoebe asked.

Piper didn't miss the hopeful tone in her sister's voice. She placed her arm around the other's shoulder. "Sweetie, I don't think the Elders would make a demon a Whitelighter, no matter how much good he's done."

"There's one point for them," Paige muttered under her breath.

"I, I know that, Piper. I'm just curious as to who my Whitelighter is going to be," Phoebe shrugged off Piper's comforting hand.

Prue hid a smile; her eyes held a secret. "This one's actually a favor for me. Plus, he did die to save us."

Next to her, white lights began to form a person.

"Andy?" Phoebe and Piper hugged the man they had viewed as an older brother in their childhood. "Hi, Girls."

"You didn't think I'd let them separate us again, did you?" Prue gushed.

Darryl was again shocked. "Andy?"

The dark-haired man faced his former partner, "Hey, Buddy." The two shook hands with a firm grasp, and a short hug, with pats on the back, followed.

"Uh, hi. Who's Andy?"

Prue introduced her baby sister to the man she loved.

"Prue!" a voice boomed. "Where did you go?"

"Calm down," she said coolly. "I was sure you could handle it."

"I was focused on the demons. You should have been checking on the innocent."

"I got that little boy to safety."

"And what about his sister?"

"There, there was another child? I didn't realize."

"Don't worry; the kid's fine. I _could_ handle it. But, you should've checked before running off to who knows where. You're slipping in your old age."

"My old age? Excuse me, but I'm not over a century. And are you aware that you completely ruined my surprise?"

"What surp-" Cole finally noticed where he'd blurred into. Phoebe was staring, Paige's mouth was gaping, and Piper was looking back and forth between the two. Within seconds, Phoebe was in his arms.

"Cole?" Darryl asked, "I need to sit." He slid into a chair. He was so lost. Three of the people currently in the same room he was in had been dead, last he'd heard. And, since when did Phoebe like Cole again?

"Hi, Darryl, everyone." Cole greeted while he held tightly to Phoebe, and slowly closed the distance between them.

Paige yelped as the kiss became heated. "Stop it! Stop it, right now! What is going on?"

"They may not have made him a Whitelighter, but the Elders did take into consideration how he helped us defeat the Ultimate Power. They brought him back to life, minus the Avatar part, of course. They trust him to help us fight." Prue was the one to give the explanation.

"You're alive." Phoebe broke the kiss and stared up at him.

He smiled, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Phoebe proclaimed, kissing him with every fiber of her being, pouring out all the love she held in her heart for Cole Turner. He did the same, much to Paige's horror.

"You're kidding! We're stuck with him again?"

"Looks that way, Paige," Piper said.

"Ooh! But, I don't like him!"

"I thought you hated him?" Prue asked.

"He did save my life and help us beat a major enemy, so I have to use a lesser word." Sitting at the table, she glowered at the newly-reunited couple.

"Didn't you _all_ hate him?"

"Darryl, why don't we explain over dinner?"

"That'd be great, Piper," Sheila accepted.

"Come on, Paige." The time-freezing witch pulled the woman to her feet. "Let's leave them alone."

Darryl, with his wife and son in tow, followed Piper and Paige out the front door. Prue and Andy joined hands and did the same. Once on the other side of the entrance, Prue grinned at Andy and gave him a deep kiss. Pulling away, her finger pointed at the loft's door. With a single motion, it shut.

**The End**


End file.
